“You are always with Me…and all I have is yours.”

How in awe of God’s mercy would you be if you constantly looked to Jesus and compared your righteousness to His? How much compassion would you have for those who are struggling with sin if you were looking at the Lord, bearing in mind how much He’s forgiven you, instead of looking at others?

In his letter to the Romans, Paul is trying to help us see the bad news (we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory) so we can appreciate and cherish the good news (we can all be justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus).

This news (both good and bad) is for the overtly immoral AND the intentionally moral and the really religious. God extends His mercy to all—those who have been running away from Him and those who have been trying to earn His favor, all the while looking down on others. When we forget that it is by grace we have been saved, we become like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son, who became angry that his brother was receiving love from his Father since he felt he was so much better.

But the Father corrects His mistaken oldest son and us in the process—we can’t earn God’s love or His righteousness. Hear the Father’s heart: “You are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” Because when you are secure in who you are in the Lord, it frees you from seeking self-righteousness and makes you ready for God’s service.